Captivating the King (2024) s01e10 Episode Script

1
CAPTIVATING THE KING
Fourth Investigator.
This is not the way to the State Tribunal.
Upon whose command are you arresting me?
I will take it from here.
Untie the rope.
- Yes, my lord.
- Yes, my lord.
Go on inside.
What took you so long?
Did you forget your duties
as the gidaeryeong
to come running to me upon my summon?
This will not do.
I shall have to punish you harshly.
Do not think for a second
that I will overlook your crimes
due to that night.
I cannot dare to think in such a manner.
I have…
already erased my memory of that night.
You did what?
Upon whose orders?
I have missed you.
Why are you not saying anything?
I thought…
that you might never summon me again.
I returned to the palace without a word
and ordered you to stay confined
to deter the court from attacking you.
What is going to happen to me now?
You must have heard about the bet I made.
I shall order Sang-hwa
to stay vigilant
so that word inside the palace
does not travel beyond the palace walls.
Please tell me.
You are my gidaeryeong.
You must come running
whenever I summon you.
I shall do the same.
If you call for me,
I shall come running to you.
Who do you think will win?
No matter who wins,
Kang Mong-woo is in a tight spot.
He is indeed stuck
between a rock and a hard place.
This is…
a jangsaeng.
A jangsaeng?
What is a jangsaeng?
It means that the victor cannot be decided
as the game has reached an impasse.
So in other words, a tie.
How could this be?
He made it.
He will live.
Such an auspicious sign is said to be seen
once in a thousand years.
Never have I seen this
in my entire life of playing baduk.
He has played baduk all his life,
but this is the first time
seeing such an auspicious sign.
This is my first time
seeing a jangsaeng as well.
What a bummer.
Had I won,
I would have taken him to the Great Qing
and offered him
as a tribute to our Emperor.
As our Emperor loves baduk as well,
he would be quite amazed
to hear of what happened today.
I am pleased that you are satisfied.
Yeongchwijeong.
I have heard stories of the place.
May I take a look inside?
I do not allow visitors normally.
However,
I will open its doors just for you.
Let us go.
Did you not hear His Majesty?
You stay here.
Rumor has it
that you are His Majesty's confidant.
I am merely a gidaeryeong
who responds to His Majesty's call
for a game of baduk.
Did you intentionally
end the game in a tie?
With all due respect,
it is extremely difficult
to reach a tie in baduk.
We only reached a tie out of sheer luck.
By that claim, you are suggesting
that the heavens are helping you.
Those are some arrogant words, indeed.
I am curious to see how long
the heavens will stay on your side.
Was it truly through luck?
Yes, I was lucky enough
to spot the move that would force a tie.
At any rate,
I am relieved that you are back.
It took a load off my mind.
We will truly need luck on our side
from this point on.
The envoy has arrived,
but he has not said anything unusual.
It appears your concern is in vain.
I also hope that my prediction is wrong.
You sounded so confident.
And yet, your plans
to cast the gidaeryeong away
have failed once again.
I suppose you are
not the only one to blame
as the King broke his promise first.
But how could he have refused
when the Qing's envoy was insisting?
Principal Director.
Are you listening?
Tonight,
His Majesty has humiliated me
before the Qing's envoy
and all the members of his court.
I have endured unbearable sufferings
to help His Majesty ascend to the throne,
stayed on as the Principal Director,
a mere honorary position,
and spent all these years
as his loyal subject.
However,
he dishonored all my sacrifices.
Not even high treason
would call for such a humiliation.
Even if I stepped down from my post
and left for our family's hometown,
no one would condemn me.
Leave for our hometown?
I understand
that you are deeply insulted, but…
Nonetheless,
the King is my one and only family
before he is my lord.
We are bound by the heavens.
How could one dare to discard a bond
established by the heavens?
If anyone dares to attempt it,
whoever it may be, I, Park Jong-hwan,
will not condone such behavior.
Of course, I understand your true heart.
The King, too, will come to understand
your profound insight one day.
By the way,
what about the letter?
That matter,
you need not worry about.
Are you sure?
I have confirmed it with Jung Je-pyo.
Your biggest concern
shall disappear soon.
What do you mean?
There is another letter
apart from the one from the Emperor?
It is a letter
written by Prince Rui himself.
I did not get to read it,
as I am the Emperor's subject,
but Jung Je-pyo did,
as he is Prince Rui's subject.
He will deliver it to you soon in person.
For what reason
has Prince Rui sent a letter?
Merely mentioning it as much
turns me into a spy,
which is punishable by death.
It is only out of our friendship
forged in Shenyang
that I am sharing this news.
Please tell me.
What is the content of that letter?
"I shall take the Princess of Joseon,
Princess Jangryeong, to be my wife."
"With my marital ties
to the royal family of Joseon,
I hope to strengthen
the bond between our two nations."
Prince Rui has sent a letter
requesting Princess Jangryeong's hand
in marriage.
It is a request in name only,
when it is an order in truth.
Even a commoner's marriage proposal
is carried out with respect
per the proper customs.
This is beyond discourteous.
You should not accept
this marriage proposal.
A letter from Prince Rui himself
is as good as a marriage proposal
from him in person.
Its refusal
may bring extreme adversities
that cannot be overcome.
Your Majesty.
Envoy Escort Yoo Hyun-bo
has obtained a piece of information
from Vice Envoy Jung Je-pyo.
Report it to me.
Jung Je-pyo proudly stated
that Prince Rui's authority stands strong
and his future is bright
and the court officials who follow him
are greater in number than those
who follow the young Emperor.
As such, if the marriage goes through,
the Qing would thus bestow
its full trust upon Joseon.
He stated that this would serve
as a great benefit to Joseon.
Your Majesty.
If you do not wish
to part with Princess Jangryeong,
choose another young woman
who shares a close kinship with you
and offer her as an alternative.
That cannot happen.
Sending anyone other than the Princess
would be no different from a rebuff.
Emperors and kings of the past
all made similar compromises.
We can at least propose this to him.
- Your Majesty
- I have heard all your thoughts.
I shall…
accept Prince Rui's request
for the Princess's hand.
Make preparations for her wedding.
Princess.
I implore you, Your Majesty.
Please do not command me
to marry Prince Rui.
Do not just stand about.
Hurry up and escort her out of here.
Your Highness.
You should not act thusly.
Your Majesty.
Considering your generosity
toward both my brother and me,
I am more than duty-bound
to follow your orders.
I also understand
I do not even deserve Prince Rui
and that this marriage is a duty
I must carry out to serve you,
the court, and the royal family.
Continue.
However,
I also have the duty
to abide by my late mother's last words.
If I cannot even uphold her last wish
to protect my one and only brother,
how could I manage a married life
that is crucial in maintaining peace
between the Qing and Joseon?
I must confess
that I am lacking and foolish,
which will cause distress
to the Qing's court and Prince Rui.
This would mean
that I will cause distress
to you and this nation.
I dare not hope to survive
after committing such a grave crime.
Even after death,
how will I bear facing my late parents?
Your Majesty.
If you have the slightest pity for me,
please let me avert this marriage.
I understand. You should stand up now.
If I could let my emotions rule me,
I would never send you at any cost.
However,
I am the king of this nation.
As I cannot neglect my duties as the king,
I cannot grant your request.
What would you do, Mong-woo?
In what way
would you save this gonma?
GONMA: A STONE THAT IS DIFFICULT TO SAVE
Should you wish not to send Her Highness,
there is just one way.
Though belated,
you can decline the marriage offer.
That is what I wish to do.
However,
I cannot.
If…
I were to decline this marriage offer
and refuse to send the Princess,
what would happen?
Prince Rui's regency will not last.
He will have to relinquish
his powers to the Emperor.
As such, Prince Rui
is testing Joseon's loyalty.
If Joseon declines his offer of marriage,
the Qing's court will feel anxious.
They will swiftly impose a ban
on the repatriation of your people
and wage war.
Prince Rui's sudden request
for the hand of Joseon's Princess
was to keep the young Emperor in check
and lay out plans for the future.
I desired power.
I thought it was the only way
to protect those that I wished to protect.
Hence, I ascended to the throne.
I was foolish.
Protecting my seat on the throne…
always came before
protecting what I truly wished.
The king has power,
and yet, he is powerless.
That is as it should be,
and it is therefore agonizing.
I was naive.
After seeing the King
take His Highness to gisinje,
I had let my guard down.
It was only a scheme
to silence the ill rumors.
Do not blame yourself, my lord.
In situations like this,
you must stay
all the more composed and rational.
I suspect
that this marriage ploy
not only targets Her Highness
but also His Highness.
I agree.
When Her Highness leaves,
talks of His Highness's marriage
will begin soon after.
It can only be easier to act against him
if he is outside the palace.
What do you propose that we do?
As the King has approved the marriage,
it will take its place no matter what.
We can neither refuse nor avoid it.
However,
we can take advantage of it.
What do you mean?
Here is my plan.
Through this marriage,
I seek to plant a spy
in Prince Rui's inner circle.
Her Highness may be astute,
but she cannot act as a spy.
First of all, she does not speak
the Qing's language.
Further, she has no notion
of keeping her thoughts secret.
I am suggesting
that we send a spy in her place.
Do not tell me…
you are suggesting a substitution?
That cannot happen.
If we were to get caught,
Her Highness and His Highness
would both fall in danger.
In any case, this is not for us to decide.
We need the approval and determination
of Their Highnesses.
To speak the truth,
I do not understand what the point is.
The Grand Prince and I will be
separated nonetheless.
It is hard to believe that there is a way
to avoid getting caught.
I am afraid
that this plan may place
the Grand Prince in more danger.
Your Highness.
What you say is right.
What are your thoughts, Myung-ha?
Do not mind my opinion.
If you two disagree with the plan,
we will not carry it out.
Who would this benefit?
It would benefit
this nation and its people.
This is the one and only way
we can learn Prince Rui's
thoughts and plan
for this nation.
Are you certain?
Can you swear
that this plan was not concocted
for your personal gain?
As Her Highness has already stated,
this is indeed a risky plan
that may bring more risks than benefits.
Were it for my personal gain,
I could always resort to easier ways.
If you cannot trust my sincerity,
do not approve of the plan.
I will follow your wishes.
I do not wish to endanger
the Grand Prince further for my sake.
- So
- I…
approve.
Do you mean that, Grand Prince?
You do not have to do this for me.
To speak the truth,
the idea of you marrying a man
who lives tens of thousands of li away
is detestable to me.
However, that is not my only reason.
It is because I trust you, Master.
Also, it will aid this nation
and its people.
How could I not approve of the plan?
Now then, shall we play baduk?
Grand Prince.
It bothers me
that the Great Lord suggested
sending another woman
from the royal family
during the assembly earlier.
Are you suggesting
they might substitute the Princess?
Your concern is in vain.
The Grand Prince and the Princess
do not have the nerve to do so.
No one knows for sure.
Furthermore…
We should of course
take measures if that is the case.
But if the King finds out,
he will be infuriated.
His Majesty heads out for a hunt
with Envoy Podan tomorrow.
No issues will arise
if we use that window of opportunity.
Would you like to
accompany me to the hunt?
It would be better for me to stay here.
I…
Would like you to accompany me.
It would be difficult for me
to hide my feelings when I am with you.
People will catch on
and begin to suspect me.
Would you not mind that?
Goodness.
Podan will be very disappointed.
Three years ago,
if we had not met,
you would be living a peaceful life
as someone's wife.
As I cannot live as your woman,
I will stay by your side
as your gidaeryeong.
I do not think this is right.
How can you get revenge when you love him?
My feelings for him
do not change anything.
I will take advantage of them.
I will fool the King with my love
and achieve my goal.
I will make sure…
that he is dethroned.
My lady.
Our hearts aren't like baduk stones.
They cannot be controlled
the way you set stones on the table.
I am afraid.
You could hurt yourself
and end up at death's door again,
and that scares me.
What is there to be scared about?
All the events that I fear
have already happened.
Death?
As I have already experienced it before,
it frightens me no longer.
Good night.
What is the matter?
Forgive me, but I am afraid
that I cannot ride a horse
due to the return of my chronic illness.
How is an aching knee a chronic illness?
I understand.
Have the Royal Clinic brew herbal medicine
for the Principal Director's knees.
Yes, Your Majesty. I shall.
I am grateful, Your Majesty.
There is no need for herbal medicine.
Yes, Lord Park.
Please wait, my lady.
How dare you get in her way?
You should have started off with this.
My lady.
Please take good care of Bun-yeong.
I shall try.
Goodbye, my lady.
My lady.
What brings you here at this hour?
I am here to convey
Her Royal Highness's order.
You and the court maids here
are to be transferred
to another residence immediately.
Pardon? Another residence?
- This is too
- We have no time for explanation.
Get out of here now.
You. Stop right there.
As you are new here, you may stay.
Yes, my lady.
Last night,
upon the Queen Dowager's orders,
the court maids at the service
of Her Highness were all removed.
Thankfully, I managed to avert the crisis
and stayed at Her Highness's quarters.
I do not need your service.
I will only let this maid tend to me,
so you may all leave.
Her Royal Highness
will not approve of this.
I am the future spouse of Prince Rui.
How dare you stand there
when I ordered you to leave?
Your Highness.
It was a risky situation,
but it passed without trouble.
You have been summoned.
Has His Majesty returned already?
No, my lord.
Her Majesty has summoned you.
I called you to ask that you look after
the Grand Prince and the Princess.
Last night,
all of the court ladies and court maids
at the Princess's quarters were replaced.
So I see.
I would like to help,
but I am afraid
I might cause even bigger trouble.
As such, I have a request.
Could you stand by
the Grand Prince and the Princess?
However meager my influence is,
I shall abide by your order
and assist Their Highnesses.
Please do not be concerned.
Thank you.
Your Majesty.
Senior Court Lady Dong is here.
Shall I tell her to come back later?
No, let her in.
Your Majesty.
- Did you summon me?
- You wench.
Do you truly have a death wish?
How dare you replace the court maids
and court ladies serving the Princess?
Your Majesty,
there must be a misunderstanding.
I would not dare to try
to replace them
on a whim and without an order.
How dare you feign ignorance?
I know you have been secretly controlling
the matters of the palace.
It is against the rules
to discuss the matters of my superiors,
but I will share this information
to resolve your deep misunderstanding.
Yesterday's incident
was carried out
upon Her Royal Highness's order.
Is that true?
Why would I inform you of an obvious lie?
If you do not believe me,
you should ask Her Royal Highness.
Or…
shall I ask her on your behalf?
Your Majesty.
Do you have any other requests for me?
No.
I shall remember your warm words today
and keep them in my heart
until the end of my days.
You may leave.
You as well.
Life is so interesting.
To think I live in a world
where a talent for a game can secure
a post and a superior's fondness.
Do you not agree?
You flatter me.
I wondered why His Majesty
was so smitten with a lowly baduk player.
I can see why after seeing you up close.
You are a man,
yet peculiar.
It is in His Majesty's nature
to take pity on those
who do not have friends or wealth.
Such was my case too.
He has treasured me since my days
as the Queen Dowager's court maid.
People may point fingers
at His Majesty and I
and condemn us for depravity,
but that hardly matters.
The first man I gave my heart to
was His Majesty
back when he was a grand prince.
And he is well aware of that fact.
Do you understand what I mean?
His Majesty
may cast away a gidaeryeong
the moment he loses his interest.
But he can never cast me away.
Is that so?
Are you implying
that you do not believe my words?
I am His Majesty's senior court lady.
I can be appointed a concubine
whenever I wish.
I am not to be looked down upon
by someone of such low rank as you.
I did not intend to offend you, my lady.
However,
I do not understand the reason
why you are explaining
His Majesty's heart to me
when you are so sure of his affection.
What did you
just say?
The Qing's vice envoy wishes to meet you,
Your Highness.
Tell him to come back later.
When His Majesty returns from the hunt,
I shall confirm his approval and
I apologize,
but Her Royal Highness
has already approved it.
Tell him
to wait for a moment.
Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
What am I to do?
Please follow me inside.
Your Highness.
I must deliver the gift
Prince Rui prepared for you.
Please allow me to see you.
All right.
I must say
it is a great honor
to see you myself, Your Highness.
These are the wedding gifts
from Prince Rui.
May I ask
what these are?
It is the bridal wear of the Qing royalty.
The moment
you dress yourself in that attire,
you will no longer be a princess of Joseon
and become the consort
of the Qing's regent.
Such an honor
will not come again to Joseon.
I congratulate you once again.
Thank you.
Pretend today's meeting did not occur.
Yes, my lord.
Are you relieved now that
you have seen the Princess in person?
Of course.
Prince Rui will be very satisfied.
Earlier today, Vice Envoy Jung Je-pyo
confirmed the Princess's visage.
How can that…
Keep walking.
This means
we cannot substitute her.
Thankfully, Bun-yeong
managed to think on her feet
and changed clothes with the Princess
before meeting Jung Je-pyo.
I wondered why you wanted her as your spy.
I can see why now.
When is the envoy leaving?
In a few days.
Has everything been prepared?
There is one last thing I must ascertain.
I am so full.
I cannot eat anymore, Mother.
Your stomach just might explode if you do.
I should get going
after saying my goodbye to Lady Hee-soo.
Wait one minute.
What is this?
Oh, my.
Is this not a waistband?
The embroidery is rather crude, no?
I told her I would do it,
but your mother insisted.
What kind of mother would let
somebody else prepare her child's things?
Mother.
Why is it so hard and heavy?
I put some silver coins inside.
They would weigh one geun at the least.
I told her your back would give in
if you wore that much weight on you,
but she would not listen.
I added a little extra
to your stipend so far.
I know it is heavy,
but wear it with you at all times.
Who knows?
It might come in handy.
Mother.
I will wear it with me at all times,
even if my back breaks.
If you do not wish to do this,
you do not have to.
You can say you want to quit.
If you refuse to do it,
I will not send you away.
My lady.
Do you know how overjoyed I was
when my birth mother passed away?
For as long as I can remember,
my mother always said
that she did not want to die
in the land of the outlanders
who ravaged our land
and killed her husband.
She said she wanted to die back home
even if it came to that
whenever she saw me.
What we only dreamt of then became true.
I managed to bring my mother,
who was being abused by a violent master,
back to her motherland.
I was also able
to look after her myself for a year
and let her pass away in peace.
All of that was possible
as you paid the ransom on our behalf.
It…
It was not my doing.
You did the deeds yourself.
I must undertake this task.
I have to do it for those
who died wrongfully like my parents
and for those who are still suffering.
And I must do it
to prevent any more children
from losing their parents
in the war like me.
I truly wish to do this.
I am
giving you too big of a burden.
Do not worry.
I know I can handle this.
Princess.
Have you come to terms with this matter?
Yes, Your Majesty.
I apologize for worrying you.
Survive and return at all costs.
I am your only elder brother,
and you are my only younger brother.
Your injuries are my injuries.
So please return home safely.
Yes, Brother.
As…
the king of this nation
and as your uncle, my sins are too great.
Your Majesty.
The incident before happened
because I acted rashly
from being overcome with fear.
As such,
I want to say
that I hold no resentment toward you.
Do not worry.
I know too well
why you acted thusly.
I will not forget you for a moment
and send word regularly
to see if you are well.
Do not worry about the Grand Prince
and be safe and sound.
Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.
Though I will be in faraway,
I shall pray
for your health and long life
and the peace of this nation.
Stay seated.
Please let me bow to you, Sister.
From this moment on,
you are my older sister.
Greetings, Your Highness.
I am Great Lord Oh Wook-hwan.
Minister of War Min Ji-hwan and I
will be escorting you out
upon His Majesty's orders.
Your Highness.
Please step into the palanquin.
Open the door.
As you are new here, you may stay.
Yes, my lady.
You!
You brat, stop right there!
I told you to stop!
Where on earth did she go?
Principal Director.
Thank you for your work.
It is all thanks to you,
Your Royal Highness.
I have returned, Your Royal Highness.
Welcome back.
Did the Princess leave
without any trouble?
Yes.
I watched the palanquin leave.
What is the matter?
Forgive me.
It may not be of any importance,
but there is something
that weighs on my mind.
You may speak without hesitation.
One of the court maids
who served in the Princess's quarters
seems to have run away with her things
instead of accompanying Her Highness.
What did you say?
- How ridiculous is that?
- When did that happen?
You startled me.
What is the matter, Principal Director?
I asked you when it happened!
Well, it was…
It was…
Just who on earth is she
to make him act thusly?
Surely one court maid going missing
is not that important.
Unless…
Principal Director.
Where did you smuggle her to?
I apologize,
but I do not understand your question.
No confession without evidence,
is that it?
All right.
I will go see Princess Jangryeong
with my own two eyes.
Principal Director.
As my farewell to Princess Jangryeong
seems lacking in hindsight,
I am meaning to go send her off.
Will you accompany me?
Pardon?
Yes, my lord.
Surely I shall follow your command.
Why is the Principal Director
behaving so strangely?
Sending off the Princess out of the blue?
Please take these for me.
Wait…
Myung-ha.
My lord, where shall we head to?
They will have left
Mohwa Guesthouse already.
We should get ahead of her then.
- Let us head to Byeokjegwan.
- Yes, my lord.
Your Highness.
Do you still feel distressed?
I feel guilty
for deceiving His Majesty.
Can we speak in private?
What is the matter?
It is about a request
I made of him earlier.
What is this about?
It seems like
the Principal Director caught on.
He left just now to go see Her Highness.
What brings you here, Lord Park?
On Her Royal Highness's orders,
I am here to bid my farewell
to Princess Jangryeong.
After all those years
of you giving her the cold shoulder?
Wait here for a moment.
I shall ask her permission first…
Lord Park! What insolence is this?
Great Lord, please calm down.
Move!
Stay still.
- You will hurt yourself.
- Your Highness!
Your Highness.
Her Royal Highness ordered me
to give you her final regard.
I apologize,
but I would like to speak to you
without the veil.
Will you please remove it for a moment?
Your Highness.
Your Highness!
You are acting strange tonight.
It is not a difficult play,
so how come you are mulling over it
for such a long time?
Could it be that you are feeling ill?
No, I am fine, Your Majesty.
You are hardly fine with such a fever.
Your Majesty, it is me, Sang-hwa.
Come in.
Principal Director Park Jong-hwan
seeks an audience urgently.
What shall I do?
The hour is late.
Tell him to come back tomorrow morning.
I apologize,
but he said the matter
requires your immediate attention.
All right.
I shall go to the hall of governance.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Let us stop here for today.
Go back home and rest.
Your Majesty.
I have an urgent matter to inform you of.
Must you tell me now?
Your matter is of most importance to me,
but as you have heard,
the Principal Director is waiting.
It is regarding the matter
the Principal Director seeks to tell you.
What is it?
What is the matter?
CAPTIVATING THE KING
I must report to you
the treacherous subjects
who dared to go against the royal command
and deceived you and the court.
Substitution?
Are you certain?
Are you saying
you will take all the blame?
I have plotted everything.
Did you expect me to forgive your crimes
because I am in love with you?
My crime against you
does not render my love for you false.
So it begins.
Before I die,
I wish to be of support
to the Grand Prince.
Do you know Lord Kang Hang-soon
by any chance?
I will endure any sufferings
that may follow.
Subtitle translation by: Jea-heon Chung
Ripped and synced by
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